Just asking a question :)

i had it once and i sit at the bar and watching then the chef was cupping his hands to scoop the broth in towards each bowl and he wasnt watching his hands between bowls i dont know wtf fuck was going on like nigga get a spoon

I like instant ramen and my homemade Europeized ramen.

But for some reason, every time I had "real" ramen, I find the flavour too strong in a bad way.

It is strange because I usually love japanese flavours. But ramen... I don't know why.

Not a fan of instant ramen because I ate too much of it my sophomore year of college, but real ramen at a proper ramen bar is awesome I love it.

since I get to actually eat real ramen living on the west coast of canada, I love it, miso ramen tends to be my favorite, whether chicken or pork base. I also work at a place that makes it and it's surprisingly easy, just takes a fucking large pot and a lot of time.

>>8092640
Way too salty at most places.

>>8092649
thats where you get the flavor.

If I order a bowl of ramen without the egg, will the restaurant staff think I'm being weird/rude?

>>8092788
no at most places the egg is extra but because it is so cheap and tasty everyone usually just gets it anyway

>>8092640
yea

>>8092788
No.
They'll think you appreciate authentic food.

>>8093580
I've never had decent ramen that didn't come with a free egg. Theres some lame places that will charge extra for soft boiled

File: image.jpg (1MB, 2226x2226px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 2226x2226px

>>8093629
Every place I've been to it's extra for an egg. I'm in Tokyo now but next time I got to Fukuoka I'll see if it's any different since Fukuoka has the best tasting ramen and some of the lowest prices too.

>>8092640

its the best soup desu

pho and tom yum goong are the only contenders

instant ramen is for subhumans only

tonkotsu w/ extra chashu, ajitsuke tamago and a lil bit of heat and sesame oil is bes

>>8092788

not at all

>>8095509

looks like ramen jun bowls

wheres it from?

File: image.jpg (2MB, 2192x2192px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 2192x2192px

>>8095516
>>8095509
It's from the Futago-tamagawa Ippudo(一風堂). I think it's got a handful of international locations since its one of the more well-known chains. Tonkotsu/pork-bone based soup, super firm noodles (though you can pick the firmness). Quite delicious, incredibly savory. They also have these chili-pepper bean sprouts you can just throw in for free in a container on the table. Nice if you like adding some spice and crunch to the soup!

This next one is from some tiny shop on the east coast of Chiba prefecture. (I just don't remember the name because we weren't originally planning on stopping here... The place we wanted to eat at was closed.)
This was a miso-based broth. It was oddly sweet, and I can't say it was all that great, but the vegetables were amazing and tasted quite fresh. Maybe I just don't like miso broth?

>>8095509
>>8095527

you seem like a guy that really knows his shit, so I'll share this with you

so my girlfriend is visiting her family in japan. her grandpa lives very close to the fuji, it's a rural place, not many restaurants around.

her grandpa recommend her this ramen spot, saying it was the best he's ever had and he goes there every other day. when she gets there there is just one old lady with some sort of food cart, obsessively taking care of her broth. she asks for a bowl of ramen and the old woman takes her by the hand and they sort of walk up the mountain a bit til they reach a meadow. it's a breathtaking scenery, the old woman explains that this is where she forages. she just starts scouting, picking greens left and right, until she's got a whole basked full of leafy greens, shoots, herbs..

they slowly walk back, the bowl gets assembled, the freshly picked greens only spend a few seconds in the boiling broth, enough to give them a little bit of a cooking.

she said it was the most gorgeous bowl of soup she's ever had and nothing could come close to the texture of those firm, yet not at all fibrous veggies, the hearty broth, an egg.. the most simple bowl of soup you could think of.

no one here even knows what ramen is so i felt like sharing.

maybe ill fly over to tokyo for two or three days before going to vietnam, it's always been my dream.

>>8092640
There's no actual Ramen restaurant or japanese restaurant that makes actual Ramen in 400 km radius here.

I mean, i guess it's understandable. I heard that the dough for the noodles is made in huge bulks and sits for several hours, so the only restaurants serving ACTUAL Ramen are probably the pure Ramen restaurants in japan.

File: image.jpg (2MB, 2197x2197px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 2197x2197px

>>8095527
Next up is from Ichiran/一蘭 (Ueno location). This is a chain from Fukuoka specializing in Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. Went here after a Nomi-kai with some friends at the beer garden in Ueno Park. We all got our own little private ramen booth which was fun. The Ichiran right outside of Asakusa Station doesn't have these private booths that Ichiran is usually famous for.

I ordered the lowest spice level (ranked 1/5) because the last time I ordered it at like a 3, I think, because I remembered it as not being all that spicy. I was very incorrect. It's pretty hot.
One fun thing I enjoy about Ichiran is that they have a TV displaying the orders made by famous people that have visited the store. I laughed when I saw that pretty much all Korean actors/actresses/musicians ordered the 5-level of spiciness.

File: hqdefault.jpg (33KB, 480x360px)

33KB, 480x360px

Used to go to this ramen place down in the city, everything there was fucking 10/10. I come back a year later and I find that it's been bought out by a bunch of chinese people. Menu completely changed. Added in this seafood ramen with shrimp and shit inside. So I decided to try it out.
Mfw

>>8095552

koreans don'T "actually" eat spicy at all though, it's mild as fuck compared to thai or viet spicy dishes

nice bubbles 'o fat tho

>>8095536
I didn't refresh when I posted last, so I did not see this post at all. Sorry!

Hot damn! That sounds like a scene from a movie or something. If you ever find out the name of this place, either tell everyone or keep it a secret because it sounds like a gem. Rural Japan food in general is so good. I studied in Gunma prefecture (all my Japanese friends laugh and ask if there's even anything there) for about a year as a senior in high school. One host family I lived with was this super crazy nice old couple and they just loved to cook. My host dad made the best tempura of my life and used fresh vegetables from his family's garden. All of his family basically lived in this tiny neighborhood in the middle of some rice paddies. Man I miss the Inaka/rural areas. Best food, best sights, and depending on the area, best onsens.

Definitely hit up Japan for some quality ramen! Please! I'm still going to reccomend Fukuoka for best (and probably cheapest) ramen. A lot of places in Tokyo are in the price range of ¥800-¥1200 depending on the restaurant. Fukuoka is anywhere from ¥100-maybe ¥600 at the highest for some of the local shops. And it's crazy good quality too, at least in the ¥300-¥600 range. I can't speak for the super cheap stuff since I haven't been to those places yet.

File: image.jpg (2MB, 2291x2291px)

2MB, 2291x2291px

>>8095574
>>8095552

My last image post unless I end up getting ramen tonight for a late dinner.

This is from a lunch at rairaitei/来来亭 (yet another chain, but its damn good). I'm not sure if it's weekdays only, or this specific shop only, but you can get double the noodles and double the green onion for free (or maybe it was like ¥50?during lunch hours. You can also pick the part of the onion (green part, white part, mix), firmness of noodles, oil, etc. the broth for this soup was a shoyu (soy sauce).

favorite joints in tokyo are hirugao and tetsu. tsukemen at both places. i prefer either spicy miso or shio. menya takakura nijo in kyoto is delicious too

i am sure there are a lot of good spots in the States, in LA (probably in Costa Mesa), and in SF and NY, but the being that I haven't been to many places in those areas, the best ramen I've had in the States is Nishiki Ramen's black ramen in Kearny Mesa, San Diego.

>>8092640
Your mom

File: IMG_20160304_195635.jpg (745KB, 1080x1920px) Image search: [Google]

745KB, 1080x1920px

>>8092640
I made this but didn't plate for presentation, rather to scarf it down and relish in delicious glory that cannot be seen but felt...
Bastardized cuisine!!!!

>>8095574

damn I had no idea fukuoka was that cheap!

Ill definitely go to Japan, be it earlier or later. probably not only once, too.

living with this jap family sounds amazing, colour me jelly.

>>8095617
instant ramen with leftover rotisserie chicken and brussels thrown on top/10

File: IMG_20160409_171057-1.jpg (324KB, 800x600px) Image search: [Google]

324KB, 800x600px

got this in tokyo

>>8095552
Can you guys recommend some spicy sauces to add to ramen/noodle soup? I'd like something that has some taste of its own.
Also what do you guys like to add? I always get some very small aburaage ready, some spring onions, ginger and I found some good udon noodles (breddy rare in germany).
I want to get me some soybean sprouts, but there are pretty much only canned ones around. Are they still ok for soup?

>>8095684

I do the following for my Ramen:

Get some fresh birdeye chilis, chop one up extremely fine, put in mortar with a tiny bit of coarse black pepper and make into a paste.

Get garlic and ginger, chop them up finely, add coarse sea salt and make into a paste.

I order Udon from the internet, comes at 1/4 of the price, including delivery, and taste better. I'm German, too, so dw about shipping.

File: 20160806_185210.jpg (4MB, 5312x2988px) Image search: [Google]

4MB, 5312x2988px

>>8092640
Went to this Ramen place that opened up ~30 minutes from my house during the summer. Really good, and had a variety of flavors so will definitely go back.

>>8095684
I like shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) and ichimi togarashi (red chili flakes/powder)
Rayu (red chili oil) is also good.
okazu rayu or taberu rayu are also delicious. It's a mix of fried garlic bits, chili powder, chili oil, and I think some garlic oil as well. You can buy most of these online also!

I don't think these are all super hot but they do add some heat and flavor that matches a variety of ramen. Kimchi might pair well with some types of ramen too but I've never tried it, personally.

Also,
I'm trying to recreate the sauce ippudo sells in Japan (don't know if they have it in international locations...)
All I know based on the label is that it has:
-A LOT of ichimi togarashi (red chili powder)
-sesame seed oil
-sesame seeds
-soy sauce
-some preservatives I think? My Japanese isn't that good to where I can understand shit like that yet.

Soy sauce and sesame seed oil+possibly some other oil make up the liquid base of the sauce but there's so much chili powder in it its hard to tell how much liquid is actually used.

Mixed with bean sprouts that have been boiled for 15-20 seconds and briskly cooled/run under cool water (blanched?) and you can make their spicy bean sprouts at home. They're pretty addictive actually.

Also I'm originally from America (fairly rural flyover state) but I could get bean sprouts at one of our Asian supermarkets. We only have 2, and only 1 in our city (of maybe 700-800k people if you count the metro area) carries fresh produce, so if you are able to find an Asian specialty store in one of your more populous areas, maybe you can find fresh bean sprouts? Also possibly try organic produce stores. I feel like bean sprouts would be something they have. Maybe. Really not sure about Germany or Europe in general tho.

>>8092681

Hey man, West coast reporting in. What are some of the good places to go?

>>8092640
I was in Japan last year for Winter. Coming in from the cold for a delicious, steaming hot bowl of Ramen was so fucking comfy.

>>8095642
Quail egg?

>>8095684
I always sprinkle a bit of cayenne powder desu, but i doubt that's authentic.

>>8095973
>>8095642
Looks like it. Man I love quail eggs. And blanched spinach. I wonder what shop this was

File: samyang spicy chicken.jpg (129KB, 1200x938px) Image search: [Google]

129KB, 1200x938px

This shit man. This shit. It's delicious but I legit can't eat more than three mouthfuls without my tongue screaming at me for 10 minutes. Why was I cursed to love chilli so much, yet have such a weak tolerance to heat.